School football: Bourne/Upper Cape comes up just short

BOURNE — They sometimes call football a game of inches. In this case, it came down to maybe just an inch.

PAUL GODFREY

BOURNE — They sometimes call football a game of inches. In this case, it came down to maybe just an inch.

Bourne/Upper Cape running back Derek Fortes was stopped just short of the goal as time expired as Wareham held on to defeat the Canalmen 14-8 in the 77th meeting between the schools yesterday morning at sunny Jackson Field.

Bourne/Upper Cape finishes 3-8 overall and 3-5 in the South Coast Conference.

The Vikings complete their season 7-4 overall and 6-2 in the SCC. Wareham improves to 49-27-1 overall in the series and captures the Superintendent's Cup for the third straight season.

On a beautiful morning with the temperature more like pumpkin-picking weather than that of turkey basting in late November, roughly 2,000 locals witnessed a cleanly played, hard-hitting contest between two storied rivals, which ended with an epic drive.

Unfortunately for Bourne/UCT, instead of traveling 64 yards, it went only 63 and about seven-eighths.

After Wareham's Mike Hyland scored on a 2-yard run to break an 8-8 tie, a fine kick return by Joe France gave the Canalmen the ball on their own 36 with 2:49 remaining.

Bourne/UCT immediately began marching as fullback Bobby LaMarche carried the ball six of the first eight plays and gained 29 yards right up the middle.

The Canalmen were up against both the clock and stern Vikings defense, but on fourth-and-5 from the Wareham 21, QB Jon Cusolito scrambled away from several defenders and found Chris Robbins, who was knocked out of bounds at the Wareham 9.

Cusolito's next pass was knocked down at the goal line, but the Vikings were called for pass interference on the following play, giving Bourne/Upper Cape the ball at the Wareham 1-yard line with 2.2 seconds left. Fortes took the handoff over the left side but was ruled down before he could stretch the ball over the line.

"We scored on the same play and had run it again for the 2-point conversion," said Canalmen coach Matt Stuck. "I looked in the eyes of my linemen and said 'what do you want' and they said, 'blast, coach.' I wouldn't take the call back."

The teams were scoreless in the first half, with each team battling to control the line and gain field position. Bourne/Upper Cape had the best scoring opportunity, recovering a fumble on the opening kickoff and driving to the Wareham 12 before turning the ball over on downs.

"Our defense in that first half played absolutely out of their tree," said Stuck. "They're (Wareham) a juggernaut. Our kids are outweighed and undersized and did an awesome job."

The Canalmen played mistake-free football the first half, but a turnover on their first possession of the second half proved costly.

A bad snap on a fake punt attempt to the up-man was recovered by the Vikings at the 22-yard line, and Jared Vasconselos cut back up the middle to paydirt on the first play from scrimmage.

Jacob Hyland scored on the 2-point conversion to make it 8-0 just 2:07 into the second half.

"The adjustment we made was our line kids weren't sealing inside," said Wareham coach Dan Nault. "Once we sealed, it opened up the middle."

Despite the adversity, the Canalmen immediately responded with a tying drive. Cusolito dashed 24 yards on a keeper on the first play and on fourth-and-7 from Wareham's 24, Joe France took an inside handoff from Cusolito out of the shotgun and raced around the left side to the Vikings 1.

Fortes scored standing up on the following play and after a Wareham interference call on the conversion pass attempt, added the two points on another run to make it 8-8 with 4:25 left in the third quarter.

The Vikings began their go-ahead drive with 6:37 left at Bourne/UCT 45 after an exchange of possessions. Patrick Murphy fumbled after a 17-yard run but fullback David Johnson recovered for Wareham and gained another 5 yards to the Canalmen 6.

Two plays later, Mike Hyland scored on a 2-yard run to make it 14-8, but the 2-point conversion failed, giving Bourne/Upper Cape the opportunity for the tying or potentially winning drive.

"This was more of a fistfight than a football game, a fistfight in a good way," said Nault. "It was very clean. I don't remember any personal fouls or taunting, just a nasty affair. We knew that (final) play was coming but stopping it from the 1-yard line is something all together different."

Murphy rushed for 57 yards on nine carries for the Vikings, and Vasconselos had nine rushes for 46 yards.

France led Bourne/Upper Cape with 60 yards on the ground and linebacker Rich Walling had a stellar game in the middle of Canalmen defense.

"I'm going to miss my group of seniors," said Stuck.

"They developed so well and came along so much this season. In spite of the fact that we're 3-8, I couldn't be more proud of a group."

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